Olympics-Pyeongchang 2018 torch lit in ancient Olympia

OLYMPIA, Greece, Oct 24 (Reuters) - The torch for the Pyeongchang 2018 winter Olympics was lit in ancient Olympia on Tuesday using the backup flame from the dress rehearsal due to rainy weather, kicking off the countdown for the first winter Games in Asia outside Japan.

The run-up to the Feb. 9-25 Olympics has been overshadowed by the escalating crisis on the Korean peninsula triggered by North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile tests. (Reporting by Karolos Grohmann, editing by Ed Osmond)